New Study: Credit Status Correlates to Experiences with Dating

1 week ago

Elevate’s Center for the New Middle Class surveys singles on
finances, dating

FORT WORTH, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–lt;a href=”https://twitter.com/search?q=%24ELVT&src=ctag” target=”_blank”gt;$ELVTlt;/agt;–Three in ten singles look up a potential partner’s career information to
determine average salary prior to pursuing a relationship, according to
the latest study from Elevate’s Center
for the New Middle Class (CNMC). The study, which surveys single
Americans with prime and non-prime credit (scores below 700), seeks to
understand how credit and financial wellness impact dating. This year’s
study is an expansion on a similar study conducted last year, which
surveyed couples.

“We know that finances play a key but complicated role in relationships,
and sought to better understand how finance and credit influence
decisions early on in the pursuit for a romantic partner,” said Jonathan
Walker, Executive Director for the CNMC. “For 28% of singles, those
decisions begin to take shape even before there’s opportunity for
romance.”

According to the study, online dating platforms and tools are the top
methods for meeting new dating prospects. The survey also broke
respondents up by credit score into self-reporting prime and non-prime
categories – and found that prime single men were online dating “power
users”: Among American singles that use online dating platforms, prime
men were on average, on one more dating platform than other cohorts. As
some of these platforms are paid, prime men’s financial stability and
ability to invest in their romantic search may improve their chances of
finding a compatible mate. That might explain then why non-prime men and
women are much less satisfied with online dating and set-ups than prime
men and women.

Other key findings include:

Credit status has no bearing when it comes to the top five most
important factors in determining compatibility: trust, honesty,
communication, compatibility, and sexual chemistry.

Interestingly, non-prime singles are more likely to emphasize the
importance of sexual chemistry: about 9 in 10 non-prime singles
say it’s “very important” or “important,” compared to 8 in 10
prime singles.

More than 50% of American singles regardless of credit discuss
finances in the first 3 months of dating.

Prime singles value a partner’s financial stability more than
non-prime, and women value stability more than men.

Regardless of credit, more than 60% of women say they’d be
hesitant to date someone who is not currently employed.

Last year’s couple-focused
study found that couples are by no means immune to financial stress:
More than a third of those surveyed reported experiencing financial
stress very or fairly often.

But both studies hint at a correlation between one’s credit score and
the success of his or her dating or relationship experience.

“We’re seeing evidence that financial fragility can seep throughout
one’s life,” said Walker. “There’s no clear causation relationship
between credit and one’s love life, but for those with non-prime credit
who feel like the universe is piling difficulties on, they may not be
imagining things.”

About the Research

The Center’s research compared the responses of 708 single Americans age
18-44 with prime (n=368) and non-prime (n=340) credit scores using
interviews conducted December 13-31, 2018. For more details on the
study, click
here.

About Elevate’s Center for the New Middle Class

Elevate’s Center for the New Middle Class conducts research, engages in
dialogue, and builds cooperation to generate understanding of the
behaviors, attitudes, and challenges of America’s growing “New Middle
Class,” defined as those with credit scores below 700. For more
information, visit: http://www.newmiddleclass.org

About Elevate

Elevate (NYSE: ELVT), together with its bank partners, has originated
$6.7 billion in non-prime credit to more than 2.2 million non-prime
consumers to date and has saved its customers more than $4.8 billion
versus the cost of payday loans. Its responsible, tech-enabled online
credit solutions provide immediate relief to customers today and help
them build a brighter financial future. The company is committed to
rewarding borrowers’ good financial behavior with features like interest
rates that can go down over time, free financial training and free
credit monitoring. Elevate’s suite of groundbreaking credit products
includes RISE, Elastic, Sunny and Today Card. For more information,
please visit http://www.elevate.com.